The Spectacular Now 3/4

Seen in Theater.  Released 2013.
Directed by James Ponsoldt.
Written by  Scott Neustadter (screenplay), Michael H. Weber (screenplay).
With  Miles Teller, Shailene Woodley, Kyle Chandler, Brie Larson, Masam Holden, Dayo Okeniyi,  
Jennifer Jason Leigh

Yet another coming of age film.  I guess there's something appealing about them.  Perhaps the reliving of your life as a teen. (though my life never appeared to be anything close to these films).  I think the drama is built in these kinds of films.  You got school life, romance, family troubles, etc..  So I think the success depends on how well the story is written and acted.

Woodley plays the (not so) plain nice girl - Aimee.  She is shy and college bound.  She is absolutely charming and adorable.  I think she carries the moive.  

So the story is party boy and drunk, Sutter, (Teller) meets Aimee,, He's charming and popular, and his motto is live for the moment (hence the title).  It seems that Aimee starts to adapt that philosophy.  But things happen, and Sutter has to reconsider his life style.

This film seems a little bit more realistic than the last coming of age film I saw, The Way Way Out.  For one thing, the actors were not freshed scrubbed beauty queens and kings.  They seemed more realistic just for that reason.  The behavior was slightly more normal teen behavior.  There were no super nerd trying to get and attain the beauty of the school.

And thematically,  The Spectacular Now is more thematically serious.  While The Way, Way Out had divorced and single parents, like this one, this film had to deal with alcoholism and the future, as opposed to the 'moment'.

Utterly charming.